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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28232550">tea parties after dark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lingerlikeatattookiss/pseuds/lingerlikeatattookiss'>lingerlikeatattookiss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>long story short [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And Zuko braids Katara's hair, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Pining, They play princesses, Zuko and Katara babysit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:33:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28232550</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lingerlikeatattookiss/pseuds/lingerlikeatattookiss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko hadn't intended to spend Saturday night wearing a tiara at a tea party with a five-year-old, but it doesn't seem so bad with Katara by his side.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>long story short [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2201010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>191</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tea parties after dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy holidays everyone!</p><p>I have not read the Avatar comics, nor do I intend to, but I love the idea of Zuko and Katara babysitting, so I incorporated Kiyi into this story. I've been really stressed out lately, but writing this helped take my mind off of things. This is honestly just tons of fluff, which with finals and stuff, I feel like we need now more than ever.</p><p>I had a ton of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Zuko envisioned his Saturday night plans, he certainly didn’t see himself having a tea party with a five-year-old while a plastic tiara dug into his scalp and a princess movie played in the background.</p><p>Yet, he currently sits on his couch, attentively listening as Kiyi tells him about the imaginary contents of her teapot. Her small voice is interrupted by a knock on the door.</p><p>“One second, Kiyi. That’s probably the pizza.”</p><p>She nods, excited at the prospect of food, and he gets up from his seat to answer the door.</p><p>But when he opens his apartment door, he is not met by a pizza delivery driver.</p><p>“Katara,” he stutters out, blood rushing to his face as his lab partner stands before him, her blue eyes widening before small laughs spill from her lips.</p><p>“Hi, Zuko. I really like your new look,” her gaze wandering to the tiara and the glitter on his face. The sound of Kiyi’s voice singing along with the movie rings out into the hallway, making Katara’s smile grow even wider. “Something tells me that you forgot about our study session tonight.”</p><p>Zuko closes his eyes and throws his head back with a groan, “Shit, Katara. It completely slipped my mind. My stepdad’s appendix burst, and my mom had to rush him to the hospital, and now I have to watch my little sister. I should’ve called- “</p><p>She cuts off his rambling, “It’s okay, I completely understand.” Her words have a calming effect on him, and he unclenches his overly strong grip on the doorknob. “You had a family emergency. It’s not like you blew me off to party or something.”</p><p>Zuko nods appreciatively at her understanding. He waits for Katara to leave and simply reschedule their study session for another day, but she lingers in the doorway as if she’s unsure of what to do.</p><p>He clears his throat, “Speaking of parties, I’m sure you have plans for tonight, now that you aren’t stuck with me anymore.”</p><p>Her smile turns sheepish and she looks down at the floor, “Oh, I didn’t really have any plans besides studying with you. I’ll probably just head back to my dorm and go over some readings.”</p><p>For some reason, Zuko doesn’t want to see her go, “Well, you could always come in here for a bit.”</p><p>She looks back up at him, surprised at the offer, “Oh no, it’s fine, I don’t want to intrude. You don’t have to go out of your way for me, we can just get together some other time.”</p><p>“No, Katara, you wouldn’t be intruding. Plus, Kiyi will be in bed soon anyway, so we can study some once she’s asleep. I agreed to study with you tonight, and I’m not one to back out on a promise.”</p><p>“Okay,” she beams up at him.</p><p>He blinks at her response. Honestly, he had expected her to turn around and leave, sure that she would find another way to spend her night that didn’t involve an awkward O-Chem classmate and his little sister. But the small part of him that had hoped she’d say yes lights up as she steps into his apartment and places her shoes by the door.</p><p>“Really?” He says before closing the door, he doesn’t want her to stay simply because she feels pressured to.</p><p>“Yes, really, Zuko,” she teases. “I love kids. And as I said earlier, I don’t have any other plans for tonight, so it’s nice of you to offer for me to come in.”</p><p>He shuts and locks the door before looking back at Katara, “Okay, I just wanted to make sure.”</p><p>“I know, and I appreciate it.”</p><p>He smiles softly down at her, before turning back towards the small child whose attention is entirely focused on the small television in front of her.</p><p>“Kiyi,” he calls out, and she turns to look at him. His scratches the back of his neck, deciding how to introduce Katara. <em>‘This is my lab partner, who’s really pretty and smart, and I may or may not have a crush on her’</em> doesn’t seem entirely appropriate for the occasion.</p><p>“The pizza isn’t here yet, but I did find a new guest.”</p><p>Katara waves, a large smile stretched across her face. “Hi, I’m Katara. Is it fine if I join you guys tonight?”</p><p>A wide grin appears on the younger girl’s face, “Sure!” She runs to Katara, ready to show her the makeshift tea party she’d set up in Zuko’s small living room.</p><p>Katara sets her tote bag down on his kitchen counter before taking Kiyi’s outstretched hand. Zuko watches with amusement as Kiyi instructs her where to sit on the couch. His smile falters slightly when his sister sits him directly beside Katara with a mischievous smirk on her face.</p><p>Kiyi plucks the tiara off Zuko’s head before handing it to Katara.</p><p>“Here, you go. Now you can look like a princess.”</p><p>Zuko chooses not the point out that she looks like a princess all the time, regardless of the tiara.</p><p>After Katara places the crown in her hair, and is handed a teacup, Kiyi introduces the fourth guest at the coffee table to her. “This is Bosco,” she says, pointing to the teddy bear that sits near the tea set.</p><p>As he watches them together, Zuko finds himself admiring Katara’s ability to humor his sister. Her eyes go wide, and she listens intently as Kiyi tells her about her latest adventures with Bosco. Kiyi’s arms swing wildly as she describes climbing mountains and fighting evil spirits, and Katara doesn’t miss a beat, reacting enthusiastically to each story.</p><p>Kiyi refills their drinks, tipping the teapot in the air over their cups. Katara clinks her plastic teacup against Zuko’s before raising it near her mouth. The look that passes between them does not go unnoticed by Kiyi.</p><p>“Are you my brother’s girlfriend?”</p><p>Zuko chokes on his imaginary tea. Beside him, pink starts to show on Katara’s bronze skin, and she lets out a shaky laugh. “No, I’m just his friend from class.”</p><p>“Well, you’re very pretty and nice, so I think you’d be a good girlfriend for him.”</p><p>The room suddenly feels as if it’s ten degrees hotter, and Zuko is completely aware that his face must be scarlet at this point. He pointedly looks at the wall in front of him, briefly considering running away to the North Pole and changing his name, so he never has to face Katara again.</p><p>“Oh, really?” he hears her reply. “I’ll keep that in mind.”</p><p>Zuko is saved from his misery by a knock on the door. He’s never been so grateful for a pizza delivery in his life.</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
“Someone please help Princess Katara! On her way to the dragon kingdom, she was captured by evil pirates,” Kiyi shouts from on top on the couch while Katara pretends to be in distress.</p><p>Zuko races towards the other side of the room and grabs Katara’s arm, pulling her close to him. “I’ll save you from the pirates.” Her face is only inches away from his, allowing him to see every tiny detail of it. His breath fans onto his skin, leaving warmth in its wake.</p><p>Her blue eyes draw him in, like the depths of the ocean calling for him to drown in them. She narrows them teasingly, “I’m not so sure how much I like this damsel-in-distress plotline we’ve got going here.”</p><p>“Okay, then next time you can save me.”</p><p>“As you wish, Prince Zuko.”</p><p>They continue to play with Kiyi, the five-year-old directing the story with bravado, adding different elements from her favorite movies and books. Zuko can clearly see that she has inherited her parent’s love of theatrics.</p><p>Their playtime is interrupted when Zuko feels his phone vibrate. He takes it out his pocket to see Ursa calling.</p><p>“Sorry, I have to take this.”</p><p>In his room, away from the listening ears of a certain five-year-old girl, Zuko listens as his mother updates him on the medical situation of her husband. Although Kiyi knows that her father had to visit the hospital, the details hadn’t been shared with her yet as to not overwhelm her. Ursa tells him that she’ll pick her up the next morning.</p><p>“It’s all good, Mom. Just make sure that Ikem’s surgery goes well, I’ve got Kiyi.”</p><p>After multiple thank yous, Ursa ends the call and Zuko exits his bedroom to return to the girls. His right brow raises when he sees Katara sitting on the floor in front of Kiyi, letting the younger girl play with her hair.</p><p>He walks over to them and asks, “Did you guys miss me?”</p><p>“Zuko!” Kiyi says urgently, “Can you help me braid Katara’s hair? Like she did to mine,” she turns to show him the small braid on the back of her head.</p><p>“Sure. If that’s alright with Katara.”</p><p>“It is,” Katara assures them.</p><p>Zuko sits on the couch, allowing Katara to settle between his legs while sitting on the floor. He’s glad that she can’t see his face, because every time he runs in fingers through her hair to comb out any knots caused by Kiyi, he can feel it burn a deeper shade of red.</p><p>Her hair is soft and Zuko can’t get enough of it as he works his fingers through. He separates it into thick sections and instructs his sister on how to move the pieces in order to form a plait. As he does this, he tries not to focus on the way his fingertips sometimes brush against the back of her neck, delicately touching her smooth skin.</p><p>“Where’d you learn how to braid hair?” Katara asks, her question bringing back memories of his childhood and days spent with his other sister.</p><p>“My little sister, Azula, had long hair, so my mom taught me how to braid it. She didn’t really wear the hairstyle that much, but I guess the knowledge stuck.”</p><p>“That’s really sweet of you.” He smiles sheepishly at her compliment. “Sokka never helped me with my hair when we were young. He knows how to braid, of course, but that’s just because everyone in the tribe is taught it.”</p><p>He pauses for a second to put Kiyi’s hands under his own, helping her do the last half of the braid. Katara hands them a hair tie to finish it off and they look down proudly at their work.</p><p>Katara turns around to face them, “Thank you so much Kiyi.”</p><p>“Hey, I helped too,” Zuko pouts.</p><p>“We all know who really did the work,” she says to the younger girl with wink. This makes Kiyi erupt with giggles, her favorite jokes always being at the expense of Zuko. He doesn’t mind though.</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Less than an hour later, Kiyi lets out small snores from where she lies on the couch. Cursing his own lack of foresight, Zuko feels slightly bad as he wakes her up to change her into pajamas before putting her in his own bed to let her sleep more.</p><p>When he comes back, Katara is already cleaning up the toys and placing them in Kiyi’s overnight bag.</p><p>“You didn’t have to clean up, I could’ve done it myself.” He takes the remaining cups off the table.</p><p>“Yeah, well, I know it’s always nice to have someone around to help with things.”</p><p>His gaze softens with her words, “Seriously, Katara, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out tonight.”</p><p>“It’s totally fine, Zuko. I had a lot of fun. Besides, you’re about to help me with my lab report anyway, so consider it a fair trade.”</p><p>They settle on the couch, Katara’s laptop and textbooks spread out while Zuko goes over a concept with her. However, he soon becomes aware that she knows most of the information already, she just wants another person around to confirm it. But he isn’t one to complain when an attractive girl wants to spend extra time with him.</p><p>They take a break from the work to get water in the kitchen. Zuko leans against the counter. “I’m sure Kiyi would love to have you over again sometime soon.”</p><p>What he means to say is,<em> I’d</em> love to have you over again sometime soon.</p><p>“That sounds really fun.” She takes a sip of her water, “And maybe some other time, we could have a tea party of our own. There are a lot of nice tea places around here. It could be just the two of us.”</p><p>Is she asking him out? He’s almost too afraid to believe that it could be true, but the way she looks up at him through her lashes tells him that his feelings may be reciprocated.</p><p>He gulps, trying to compose himself, “Yeah, um, I’d like that a lot.”</p><p>She steps in closer, the corner of her lips turning upward into a smile, “That’s good to hear.”</p><p>His heartbeat grows louder every inch she comes closer. Even with the harsh lighting of the kitchen and the cheap crown resting on her head, he can’t help but think that she’s looks more beautiful than any princess he’s ever seen before.</p><p>And it’s safe to say that the feeling of her lips on his is nothing short of magical.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading !!</p><p>I apologize if there are any mistakes, I wrote this rather quickly.<br/>Comments, kudos, or even criticism are all greatly appreciated. Have a safe and happy holidays!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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